This invention, in general, relates to external body therapy. More particularly, this invention relates to a therapeutic device for achieving and sustaining erection of a penile organ.
Erectile dysfunction (ED), also known as impotence, is the inability of a human male to achieve or sustain an erection of the penile organ for satisfactory sexual activity. ED may vary in severity. Some men have a total inability to achieve the erection, while some men have an inconsistent ability to achieve the erection or may sustain only brief erections. A variety of treatment options are available for men with ED including drugs administered orally, drugs administered directly into the penile organ, mechanical aids such as constriction rings and vacuum pumps, and surgical implants such as semi-rigid penile prosthesis, inflatable penile prosthesis, etc.
The conventional penile erection aids or treatments may not be suitable for men with ED. The comorbid conditions arising out of ED affect the choice of treatment to be given to men with ED. Moreover, the aforementioned ED aids and treatments may have associated side effects such as headache, indigestion, muscle pain, back pain, nasal congestion, runny or blocked nose, flushing and dizziness, nausea, mild visual disturbances, or changes in blood pressure. Drugs administered directly into the penile organ may cause burning sensations, minor bleeding, priaprism, or fibrosis. Priaprism is a medical condition of experiencing painful erection of the penile organ. Fibrosis is a medical condition where an excess tissue is formed in an organ as a result of regenerative process. The vacuum pumps and constriction rings may cause uncomfortable erections or may impair ejaculation. Furthermore, there is a risk of infection and bruising in using the constriction rings and the vacuum pumps. In semi-rigid penile prosthesis and inflatable penile prosthesis, the sensation of the penile organ may be reduced and may lead to absence of the ejaculation. Further, the existing ED aids and treatments may not be economical.
ED may be caused due to radical prostatectomy. Radical prostatectomy is an operation performed to remove prostate cancer. The probability of contracting ED increases in men after radical prostatectomy. Hence, early penile rehabilitation is required to maintain a healthy penile tissue after radical prostatectomy. Because of the damage to the penile neural pathway after radical prostatectomy, men lose their natural nocturnal erection and eventually may lead to the fibrosis of the penile tissue. Oral ED therapies are provided generally after radical prostatectomy. During the initial period after radical prostatectomy, the oral ED therapies may not be effective since the penile neural pathway may not have regenerated. Early penile rehabilitation increases the blood flow to the penile organ so that the penile tissue is maintained while the neural pathway regenerates, allowing for more effective oral ED therapy. Hence, there is a need for early penile rehabilitation of the penile tissue in the penile organ.
Erection of the penile organ in men is achieved and maintained through an internal mechanism that forces the blood into the penile organ during sexual activity and drains the blood from the penile organ after the sexual activity. Veins in the penile organ carry the blood out of the penile organ, whereas, arteries in the penile organ carry the blood into the penile organ. As men age, penile veins weaken and leak back into the bloodstream. The blood cavities do not expand enough to allow a full erection of the penile organ. In time, all men experience the aforementioned decline of the erection of the penile organ, no matter how healthy or sexually active they are. The pressure produced by the constriction rings squeezes the veins and the arteries, thereby restricting blood flow into and from the penile organ. Hence, there is a need for applying pressure selectively on the penile organ to allow the flow of blood into the penile organ and to restrict the flow of blood from the penile organ. Research studies have demonstrated that magnets enhance the flow of the blood in the arteries that carry blood into the penile organ and assist in maintaining the erection even after ejaculation. Therefore, there is a need for a therapeutic device to enhance the flow of blood in the penile organ using magnets.
There is an unmet need for a device and method to enhance the flow of blood in the penile organ to achieve erection of the penile organ. Further, there is a need to control and adjust the blood flow by applying pressure selectively on the penile organ for sustaining erection of the penile organ. Furthermore, there is a need for early penile rehabilitation of the penile tissue in the penile organ.